From raw material to printed cloth
Many things we use begin as raw materials. Wool comes from sheep, wood comes from trees, clay comes from the ground, and cotton grows on a plant. People change raw materials into products. Wool becomes thread, then cloth, and then a scarf. Cotton from a plant becomes thread, then cloth, and then a shirt. Egypt is well known for its cotton. Clay is shaped and dried into a pot. Cloth can be decorated by printing. In finger printing you dip your finger in paint and press it to make dots. In block printing you press a shape, such as a piece of sponge, many times. The block makes the same shape each time, so a pattern is quicker and neater. Artists plan the pattern first: what shape, what colours, and how many rows.
Print a shirt. On a paper shirt outline, make a pattern with fingers dipped in washable paint: for example 3 rows of 4 dots. Wash your hands. With a grown-up, make a block from a piece of sponge or thick card stuck on a lid, and use it to print the same pattern on a second outline. Count the prints and decide: which way was quicker and neater? Cover your table and keep paint away from your mouth.